Nanoporous membrane-encapsulated feeder cells for culture of human embryonic stem cells

Current methods for the extended culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are far from optimal. Therefore, we proposed to use nanoporous membrane for the co-culture of feeder cells and hESCs. In this proof-of-concept study, we first studied the stability, biocompatibility and permeability of an alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate membrane. This membrane was then used to encapsulate feeder cells to examine the cell viability and TGF-ß secretion. Finally, the encapsulated feeder-conditioned media were used to culture hESCs. The data indicate that nanoporous membrane is a potential tool for the co-culture of feeder cells and hESCs in a safe, efficient, and continuous manner.